Refrigerator door gasket



April s, 1953 E. T. MORTO N REFRIGERATOR DOOR GASKET Filed Aug. 18, 1949 Il' lill q IIIIIIIIIIIIQ INVENTon EVANS 7.' MORTO/V IgA-bal@ Patented Apr. 28, 1.953

REFRIGERATOR DOOR GASKET Evans T. Morton, Chicago, Ill., assignorl to'Admiral Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application August 1s, 1949', serial 10.110,9 27

5 Claims.

This invention relates to gaskets and more particularly to an improved gasket for a refrigerator door.

.. In an ordinary household refrigerator it is very desirable to prevent any leakageof warm room air into the food compartment liner and the outer shell of the cabinet. It is, therefore necessary that an efficient gasket be found for use between the door and the rest ofthe cabinet. This gasket should preferably seat on the outer shell so as to prevent leakage into the space between the shell and the inner liner.

It is well known that in sheet metal structures of the size of a refrigerator cabinet or door, there may be considerable variation in a surface supposed to be fiat. In order to seal the juncture of two such surfaces, it becomes necessary to use a thick gasket. It is also desirable to use a soft gasket to make possible the easy closing of the door. Because of those considerations, prior gaskets have been of soft extruded sections usually containing an air space. This air space made possible a soft gasket, but at the same time frequently caused the gasket to be so soft that the seal it was supposed to make was not air tight. A

Several different shapes have been used in an attempt to avoid this difficulty. Among them are gaskets which have a corrugated sealing surface and one which has a single ridge with a weakened section beneath it on the surface lintended to form the seal so that it will dimple at that point and always be pressed against that surface. All of these prior devices have been subject to disadvantages. V Among them is the disadvantage of sealing to the breaker frame rather than the small area `of outer shell customarily left facing the door. This allows the leakage of warm air into the insulation space. A further disadvantage in the tendency of the prior type gaskets to flatten out and become thinner at the corners where it is necessary to stretch or bend the outer edge of the gasket around the corner.

By my invention I eliminate these disadvantages. My invention comprises a gasket strip having a protuberance on the outer surface adapted to engage the outer shell of the cabinet and seal the door there. This protuberance is so constructed that on stretching the gasket around the corner whilethe main body of the gasket is flattened slightly, the protuberance rises away from the body and tends to keep the gasket the same thickness completely around the door.

A more complete understanding of my invention may be had by reference to the following description and figures which form a part of this specification.

Fig. A1 is a cross sectional View of my gasket in anormal state;

2 Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the installed gasket as it engages the shell of the refrigerator' cabinet; v

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l'showing the change of position ofthe bead somewhat exaggerated 'as .the gasket is stretched around the corners of the door; and I Fig. 4 isa cross sectional View showing a Adiierent type of door engaging part.

Brieiiy, my invention comprisesa hollow gasket vfor a refrigerator having a bead supported on its sealing surface by a cantilever means. The bead is so mounted that when it touches the wall of the refrigerator, the cantilever means causes thehollow gasket to deform and present additional surface to the wall to seal more securely.

More specifically and referring to the figures, my invention comprises a gasket adapted to be clipped to the fiange II of a refrigerator'door. This flange is formed around the edge I2 of the door which is generally dish-shaped and has a flange II at its edge extending inwardly. AThe clip used maybe either a breaker frame I3 as described in my copending application, Ser. No. 161,663 filed May 12, 1950, or it may be a separate clip.

The gasket is an extruded rubber or synthetic rubber section 'as shown having a substantially fiat piece I4 which engages the iiange II. Small ridges or corrugations I5 are preferably formed on the surface next to the ange in order to assure a better seal. At one end of this at part I4, a tubular section I6 is formed on my preferred section. This section I6 engages the flange II at a channel section I1 and the breaker I.frame I3 as shown. A small ridge IB is formed on the tubular section I6 to assure good sealing contact with the breaker I3 or the aforementioned clip. This structure is more fully explained in my aforementioned copending application.

The main body of the gasket is spaced from th fiat part I4 by a fairly heavy section I9 at the outer part of the gasket. Beforel its installation, the gasket is formed as in-Fig. 1 with the tip 20 of the body almost touching the iiat part I4. When the gasket is installed, however, the breaker frame or inner door panel I3 is inserted between the tip 20 and the part I4 (Fig. 2) and, therefore, the tip 20 normally presses lightly on the breaker frame. The gasket may be conveniently held in place by push type fasteners 2I which are inserted merely by pressing them through a hole in the gasket and in the flange The body of the gasket is formed somewhat in hollow airfoil shape having an inner wall 22 and an outer wall 23. A tubular bead 24 is supported on thev outer wall by a ridge 25 which holds the bead somewhat eccentrically. The ridge 25 is mounted obliquely to the outer surface of the outer wall 23, which feature combined with the mountingyefythe-bead^-atsome point otherl than on a center linethereof causes the unforeseen*-resultsl when the gasket is bent around a corner, as described hereinafter.

Thus when the bead is;l

pressed on-the shell 26 of the refrigerator, it is bent over (Fig. 2) as is more fully described*'' hereinafter. On the inner surface.. of. the. outer wall 23 directly opposite the. point.thebea'd'xf;A

hits when bent completely down, a weakening groove 21 is provided. A hole 28 may also` be provided near the tip 20 to keepithel-gasket f'ioxni being too stiff at any part and to avoid any. veryjA thick sections.

As. statedabxovd whenthe. door. is closed Vand the gasketengages. tiiegilangev of the`oute'r'shell' of' the cabinet, the bead' 2li is bent "downward toward` the, outertwall .eoi the. gasket' 'This bending;l however, causes the ridgei 54 to actasA a cantilever.4 beam'F and'. .ca-use. a. bending movement Thee-movement causes .a deformation.` of this wall as shown in Fig. 2.andlresults.in.the "outer'lwall engaging, @bei cabinet. breaker .strip 29S to form @secondaryfsaal while theheadlli forms' a prie mary seal with-the.. shell .25., The weakening groove lfallowsthe bead tobepressedinto' the` outer,l wal'l.23..oi. thegasketto insure. thatth'e' s'ec.-

ondaryseal of.. the ,wall- 23.-,withthe breaker str`ip 29 will be iorrnedproperlg.

An additional ieature..of-. thisttypeof. construction .is its =charaoteristewhenbent .around a corner., Mostl-g-refrigerator :gaskets of thehollow type tend tozatten outwhenvstretched, particularly.l whenrthey, are, bent aroundcorners such/as-y the upper arcuateycorners. of arefrigerator door. They, thus .flje-llielya to form `an imperfect seal-. at. the. cor-ners, -he present...gasket has a. characteristic which? avoids this likelihood. Asfmy gasket is stretched around a corner, some coin--l bination,offorcesoauses .the-bead 24 torise away frornthe--niailn body 0f the gasket asshownrin slightly exaggerated:- form in Fig.. 3, and. thusV as-.thefbodyfiattens out simi-lark.7 to prior gaskets, the bead.risesandmaintains-.iull or almostrfull thickness orf;the.gasketat.the cornersa 1 v It is. conceivednthat several-methods of fasteningytheq gasketto .the-doorway be used, andi that. thereforefi-t mayg 11e-necessary toform the" gasketA diierentlyatffits. door engaging-surfaces. One'.- such. variation iis; shown inFig, 4- where the` gasket formed-.1 to :embrace: a flange 3l of'. thedcor andfis heldiinplaoesthere 'byf'the forked end'.`V 32fr of. the;docidbreakerrstrip.I lt-isr apparent .that this forked end could be replaced by aV spring.l cliplwhich" mightxalsoizsupport: the innen-wall of therdoori ,alf A Thus. it is. apparent that: I have. provided. a gasket@which.;provides a-.sea1;. not -onlye-l more' eiii#v cient; alongA theisidesaof; the;` door, but; also con:- s

siderablymore ei-*ncientatlthe cornersofthe door; Having. thus.k described myf invention, Ig anr aware i that* numerous; departureg: and-v; changes,... mii-Y- bo'fmadeatherefrom. withoutdepartingzfronr-z:

thespirit orssoope ofn'iy.invention.'l 1 'l "Icam: i 1.15; T 1;.. A gasket for iai refrigerator door: comprising."

are. strip 'ofi rubberelikefrnateriai.- having. aicro'ssi: section shaped with a fiat, door engaging part having: an'ibbe-.ir` `surf-ace lfor, engaging 'said door,

ae; body! connected t-'of saiddoorengaging parti,f3

at: an; angle oblique tofsaidf surface and abe'adiA attacheciftoesaidfridgewsaidiridge bein substituer 4 tially tangential toi-said bead# f-i- 2. A gasket for a refrigerator door comprising @istripofrubber-like ,materiali having la cross section shapedwith a doonengaging part, a hollow body connected to said door-engaging part .and having an inner wall adjacent said doorelflgaging,.part4 and an outer wall, a ridge formed 'on lsaidV outer wall at an angle oblique to the surface thereof; aubeadson said ridge, said outer wall beings: formed.: withna weakening groove at the point directly beneath said bead. 3.5 A.gasket.ioijvarefrigerator door comprising "a strip of niat'eria'l "having a cross section shaped With a. door engaging part, a hollow airfoilshaped section attached4 to said door engaging part and .having-inneren@-outer, `vvallsyf-atubular bead ,mountedgpn' meter...walll onaf-fridge- .formed thereon, said ridge being.formediat'fanv angle` oblique;Vv to ,thea suriacev of said i outer-wall and being. .attached f tLO said bead.'substantiallyf tangential theretoig g 4.4 reirigeraton -do.or.; .gasket.r .adapted tof-be,` secured. adjacent theredge of; ayrefrigerator door to. provide a sealfwith the: outer edgesof *the-ire# frigeratorbox', comprising astripihaving raf cross; section.. shaped with. a.- base part, a support exi-l tending from said base part.awan'fromthe'inner iaceoi sai dxdoolyafbod-y1sectionxrcarried by: said support.Y and extending inwardly: from: theV door edge, said bod-ysection beingiformed:witha `free` edge portion extending laterallyi. from: the sup.:- y

port.. the: exterior. surface` off'saidfbodysectionbeing curved. convexly and .beingformed with! arr" outwardlyextending .ridgey atx thelapex cfs said. surface. said ridge.. extending. fromzf said rsurface at. an. angle. obique. thereto: at: theijunction: line';

andabeadaon saicif.ridg.e...v 5. A refrigeratoinl door. gasket?. adaptedtof besecured: adjacent .the edge; ofya refrigeratoitdoor.

to'iprcvide aisee-lzwithttheputeredges of the re"- frigerator box, comprising a strip having a cross-- section shapedwithia base/part', avsnppo'rti extending fronnsaidsbaspartiaway:troinltheinner* face; or said. door, a' bodyesections carried by said support andi. extending inwardlivffrom.^the" doorf edgesaid bodyseetion beingzformed-with-affres edgeportioniadaptedto move laterally-'oi the-door edgegwhenthe gasketisideformed -byitslengagee ment: with the-.edges ofasaidboxpthe eiteriorisurfface' of. said f body.' section'V being curved 'oonveilyl andbelng; formed. with' ani outwardlyY extending ridge.. at I the.. apexaofi` said surface,- said 'ridge-exe' .tending iromisaid surface-.at an angle*obliiie1 thereto atftheizjunctioniline, andfalbeaoi-'onfsa d* ridge,A .bead being-l adapted t'o (bei pressed* againstsaid.bodyisectionv-when saiddo'or 'is'e'losed eningi. groove .in -thesuriace oppositef'the line of contact of said bead with said body-fsectionwhen 5' .Sdidoorfis closed -l-l. =f 

